I've had this beauty for a while. Serial number 584,xxx (early 30's?), finish is still pretty good except for near the muzzle, action still tight. The front sight has been modified as shown. I have no idea where.

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Frosty
S&WCA # 2816

I've had this beauty for a while. Serial number 584,xxx (early 30's?), finish is still pretty good except for near the muzzle, action still tight. The front sight has been modified as shown. I have no idea where.

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Frosty
S&WCA # 2816

Looks like the trigger has also been replaced or reworked.

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No life story has happy end.

You may very well be correct. It appears to be a wide S&W target trigger which I doubt would have been original to this gun. I do not know when these triggers first appeared, do you?

Also, the stocks were probably added later.

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Frosty
S&WCA # 2816

The stocks are from about 1957 to 1967. I don't know when target triggers became available but I think it was in the 1940s or 1950s.

I suspect that a previous owner longed for a K38 Masterpiece (note that I didn't call it a Target Masterpiece as it was once very sternly pointed out to me that S&W never used that term) but lack of funds or lack of availability caused him to build his own version out of a 6" M&P. These guns are always so intriguing.

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No life story has happy end.

The target triggers are late 1948, or so. The grips are much later - they are
probably the late 1950's. They have they extractor cut, whereas the first
target stocks did not have that cut.

You ought to get a letter on the gun. While its unlikely, its possible that
the gun was originally a semi-target. Ie, shipped with a target front sight,
but a fixed rear sight. They are called semi-targets.

Later, Mike Priwer

Frosty, Very cool old revolver! I'll bet it shoots great. Regards, Jerry

Here is an example of a semi-target. I used to own this gun, at one time.
It is currently lot 3670 in the up-coming Rock Island Auction. This gun was
factory-engraved by Oscar Young.



Later, Mike Priwer

Mike:
It appears you allowed it to acquire some holsterwear at the muzzle. How did it shoot?
Ed

Ed

I never shot it, not carried it ! That is just the way I got it. I
guess someone must have carried it, at one time or another. It was
shipped to Shapleigh Hardware in St Louis, but I don't know if someone
had ordered it through the hardware store, or if the store themselves
ordered it. Back then, circe 1910, hardware stores were one of the
major outlets for revolvers. I've owned lots and lots of 1905 targets
that were shipped to hardware stores. Almost all of them are now out
of business.

We have a place in Portland, OR., and one of Smith & Wessons big
dealers was Honeyman Hardware in Portland. It was common, in those
days, to paint the name of the store right on one of the exterior
brick sidewalls, if that wall was exposed. Honeyman is out of business,
but the original building is still there. It has been added to, and
converted to the Honeyman Lofts, a condo project ! That old sign is
still on one wall.

Later, Mike Priwer

I would place the grips much later than Mike does. The cut-outs graduated in size, getting larger, as time passed. The earliest cut-outs looked like these.
DW

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"NUTS"